Building construction



Aug. 1, 1944. v f I H. K. WILLIAMS I 2,354,901 I BIIIILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed March 7, 1942- 2 Sheets-Sheet l I a7 I l I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Ii -I I I I I I V I I Aug- 1944. H. K. WILLIAMS r 2,354,901

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed March '7, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I I I 9 I I I v I -l9 l N mm By 7v wZd,

4 (Wome Patented Aug. 1, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUILDING CON STRUGTION Harold. K. Williams, Moline, 111.

Application March 7, 1942, Serial No. 433,695

1 Claim.

My invention has reference to building construction, and is concerned more particularly with means for insulating the walls and floors of buildings, and in connection therewith providing a safeguarding means for arresting the spread of fire through such Walls or floors. The main insulating elements consist of unitary fiat sheets of paper board or similar material of a tough and durable character, which units can be combined for installation in the spaces between adjacent beams or rafters, in a manner to form spaces of a diamond shaped character in cross-section, and other subdivisions of a semi-diamond shape. The units are formed of multiple sheets, arranged in pairs with small spaces between, and w th corrugated filler sheets between said spaced sheets, and uniting the same.

When the sheets are fully installed they provide a plurality of spaced barriers, interfering with the passage of heat or moisture, which barriers alternate with dead air spaces. The unitary sheets and all parts of a similar nature associated therewith are thoroughly fire-proofed, by inserting the parts in baths of suitable liquid material. The insulation is further provided at suitable intervals with baffles or firebreaks, formed of similar fire-proofed material, and positioned cross-ways of the channels formed between the floor beams, rafters of the roof, or studding for the walls, and serving to interrupt the travel of fire through said channels, such-as might find its way into and through the insulated sheets, the effect of which will merely be to char the insulater sheets. These barriers or baflles are of a double form, and can be readily adapted to spaces of varying depth or width. They can be produced from the main sheets, and can be secured or wedged in place by additional jam strips or binders, wh ch tend to hold all of the strips firmly in place. The extra parts can also be cut from the main strips after the same have been fire-proofed, of a suitable size and shape for use.

In positioning the main sheets in a floor or wall it is necessary to score the sheets along a central line, and then bend them along such l ne into shape for insertion into the space in the floor or wall, the two bent parts of the sheet having a spring tension tending to spread the same and cause a close engagement of the edges of the sheet with the sides of the channel. In order that the scoring may be properly done one face of, the sheet is provided with suitable markings, consisting of a line as shown herein, and other guiding markings and insignia can also be provided on the sheet to indicate steps that are to be taken in the carrying out of the objects thereof, including the cutting thereof into extra parts, and forming the same for use as a fire baffle, or as a binder. The purpose is to have complete instructions on the sheet with diagrams to explain the various operations, the face of the sheet being well adapted to such purpose, and in addition thereto there is ample space for the use of advertising material, if desired, exploiting the invention.

The invention" is of a simple and effici'ent character, and well calculated .to be substituted for insulating means and material now in use, and not fully fire-proof. It can also be produced at a low cost, and insulates a building or parts thereof against either heat or cold, as well as against fire travel and sound travel.

The above named, and other features and advantages of the invention will more fully appear form the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a part of an insulation system, showing one of the units, and the fragmentary part of another unit in use therewith, with a fire control partition at the joint between the two. 7

Fig. 2 is a plan face view of one of the units, somewhat enlarged.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectionon the broken line 3-3 of Fig. 1, also enlarged.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged View of one of the diagrams on the face of the unitary sheet shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detached plan view of a sectional part of the unitary sheet shown in Fig. 2, enlarged.

Fig. 6 is a detached plan view of another sectional part of the sheet shown in Fig. 2,'enlarged.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings the reference number 8 in dicates part of a building structure, from which are extended parallel beam pieces 9, forming part of the frame-wark of a floor, in one of the stories of a building above the main floor. With a little different positioning the pieces 9 might also be made to represent the joists in the wall of a building, or rafters in the roof thereof. The beams 9 rest upon floor pieces iii, on a foundation II, which may be the ceiling structure of the space beneath.

In the space or channel between the beams 9 are sheets of insulating material formed of two main sheets or units, the lower one of which is bent into upwardly sloping leaves 12 and E3, and the upper one of which is formed or downwardly sloping leaves I4 and I5, the edges of which rest upon the edges of the first-named leaves. (Fig.

5.) Within the pairs of leaves is a diamond shaped space 16, forming a dead air space, and when the main passage is covered, as by a floor l7, other dead air spaces 18 are formed between said floor and the upper sheet |4l5, and between the lower sheet l2i3 and the ceiling section below the same. Each of the insulation sheets is formed of two similar pieces of thin tough paper or board a and b (Fig. 3), with a narrow spacing between, in which is a corrugated sheet 6, uniting said pieces and holding them in the desired spaced relation. The spaces in the corrugated part form air pockets, or channels,

extending for the width of the sheet, and alternating with the barriers formed by the corrugations and sheets attached thereto, so that each of the insulation strips is provided with five heat and moisture retarding and arresting elements, consisting of one of the paper sheets, the dead air spaces adjacent thereto in the corrugated part, the corrugated strip, the dead air channels on the other side thereof, and the other paper sheet enclosing the same. The elements just named are present in both the upper and lower insulation sheets, doubling the number thereof, and these alternate again with the dead air space I 6 within the strips and the other dead air spaces l8 and I9 on the outside thereof after the flool is completed. This gives a maximum amount of efliciency.

It is not essential that the edges of the insulation units be in contact with each other, as they can be spaced a little ways apart and still be effective. The engagement of such edges with the sides of the channel in which they are positioned makes the same self-supporting and selfsealing. I

It is found to be convenient to form the unitary sheets in lengthsof approximately three feet, and with a width a little greater than that between the beams, so thatv when they are bent along the center they will span the space between the beams. In filling, a space several of the units are required, and if necessary a fragmentary part of one of them can be used. It is, advisable, however to have a number of com. plete sheets, if possible. Each of the units is provided with a central line or marking, as at 20, indicating where the sheet is to be scored on one face, and bent into the angular form shown, the scoring being lengthwise of the sheet, and crossways of the corrugations in the sheets. The scoring is preferably done when the sheet is prepared, so that the same will be ready for bending by the carpenter or mechanic using the same.

As before mentioned the unitary sheets are immersed in some kind of fire-proof solution, before being put in use, or otherwise provided with some form of fire preventing or retarding material. When thus prepared the tendency of the fire being spread by the material is reduced to a minimum, the effect in case of a fire being a charring one, without tendency of the spread of fire resulting in a general. conflagration. With some of the rock wool products now in use it is the praceice to provide a vapor barrier on one or both sides of the layer, which is not so much for fire protection as to keep vapors and moisture from passing through the product. I find this to be a salutary operation, and similarly provide at least the outer or upper face of-the insulation sheets made use of after the same havebeen fire-proofed. This may be done by a sprinkling process or other coating operation.

In the present invention the several unit are separated at their outer ends by'fire walls, or barriers as shown at 2| in Fig. 3, which are of double formation, and provided at their upper ends with angular wings 22, which are approximately level with the upper edges of the beams 9. To insure a close engagement of the parts at the joint, in case they are not sufficiently snug, an additional strip 24 is provided, also cut from the fire-proof material, which is forced downwardly between the leaves of the fire-wall 2|, as shown in Fig. 3, causing a seal at that point against the movement of air or flame. In order to form the fire walls 2| the larger sheets are cut in half along a broken line 25, Fig. 2, and then relieved of a narrow strip by cutting along the broken line 26, or on a line approximate thereto. This should reduce the width of the severed piece to that of the space in the floor, so that the piece can be fitted tightly into same. The piece is then bent along a central line as at 21, and the parts folded into the double shape for use as a fire-wall guard. The pieces are then provided with wings 22 by placing them alongside the beams 9, and bending them outwardly over the beams. This also serves as a gauge to form the body of the pieces of the same width as the depth of the floor channel. The bending is done along the line of the corrugations in the central part of the sheet, so that no scoring of the sheet is required. After the parts are in position in the floor channel a binder 30 may be placed over the joint, formed of a tough strip of paper, and secured at its ends to the beams 9.

In case the engagement of the insulation at the floor space is not sufiiciently close, one of the fire-barriers can be inserted at that point, with the wing 22 at the outside thereof removed, and a binder 300. secured above the joint, and ex tending over onto the piece 8 of the structure.

One of the faces of each unitary sheet is provided with diagrams, as shown at 3! and 32, to aid the workmen in the positioning of the parts, and intended to be used with written or printed instructions relating thereto. In case the sheet is not already scored for bending it is stated that this should be done, as part of operation No. 1, followed by the bending along the scored line. For the forming of fire barriers step No. 2 is carried out by cutting along the line at that number, followed by the additional out along the line at 3. The leaves are then bent toward each other, as at 4, and then bent further to form the wings, approximately along lines at 5 and B. This should indicate the standard height of a beam or rafter, but would vary in some cases.

In producing the jam strip 24 the length is gauged so as to concide with that of the fire barrier, and the width of the same made slightly less than the width of the barrier.

When a building is on fire there is a tendency of the flames to follow along the channels between the beams, rafters, etc., which is interfered with in the present system by the character of the insulation, and the occasional fire partitions or barriers.

What I claim and desire to secure is:

In a building wall, the combination of a pair of substantially parallel, elongated flat structural members, having aligned longitudinal edges and defining a rectangular space therebetween, a pair of insulator sections of non-inflammable material each of rectangular shape and bent on a substantially straight medial line, into an obtuse angular shape, the angles of the two sheet sections being disposed in opposite directions,

and the side edges of the sheet sections being engaged and engaging the sides of said structural members, the two sheet sections thusdefining a passage of diamond shape in cross-section ex tending in parallel relation to said structural members, a similar pair of insulator sections disposed in alignment with the first mentioned pair and spaced therefrom, and a bafile member of non-inflammable sheet material bent on a medial line and folded to define a double wall portion having laterally and oppositely disposed flanges, the baffle member being of substantially T-shape with the double wall portion interposed between the pairs of insulator sections and closing the passage therethrough, and the flanges lying along the exterior face of bends in adjacent insulator sections.

HAROLD K. WILLIAMS. 

